The 10 titles on the longlist include fiction, nonfiction, and novels-in-verse, as well as one author previously honored in the category: Randy Ribay, who was a finalist in 2019. 

The censorship-related legal battles continue as Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Club, Harper Collins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, The Authors Guild, Julia Alvarez, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas sue Florida; and the Department of Justice files a brief in support of the lawsuit against the Cobb County (GA) School District.

Debut author Craig Kofi Farmer spoke with SLJ about lovably chaotic characters, writing through grief, and the gravity and responsibility of honoring strong ancestors.

The nonprofit advocacy group's week-long virtual event will be a celebration of libraries, reading, and the First Amendment with author panels, advocacy education sessions, and more.

SLJ spoke with Alston about how fantasy mirrors tweens' lives and why he thinks librarians are "the unsung heroes of our education system."